Cristian Romero has taken aim at Gary Neville after helping Argentina reach the World Cup final with a 2-1 victory over England in Atlanta. The Tottenham defender said he and Lisandro Martinez used Neville's comments as motivation.
Neville's 'Best-Worst' Remark
Neville had labelled the pair the "best worst centre halves in the world" and predicted England would score at least two goals. On The Overlap, he said: "I don't see how we won't score at least two goals. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez seem to give away a goal between them in every match."
Neville added: "Then you see them again and suddenly they're scoring goals, winning every header, and appearing everywhere. There's something that happens to them when they put on that shirt. It's incredible. I call them the best-worst centre-back pairing in the world because at times they are absolutely extraordinary, and the next instant they go from the sublime to the ridiculous."
Romero Fires Back
After the match, Romero responded: "Licha and I were fired up before the game [because of Gary Neville's comments]. In England, they love talking before the games. I hope that when I retire, I'm not as stupid as him. I won't criticise players."
Argentina came from behind after Antony Gordon gave England the lead, scoring twice to secure their place in the final.
Kane Laments Negative Approach
England captain Harry Kane felt his side were too defensive after taking the lead. He said: "Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to just try to hold on, which at this level isn't enough. After the goal, whether it was because they were pushing more men forward or because we couldn't match them individually, it was wave after wave, and we were trying to hold on, our guys blocking. But in the end, it just wasn't enough."
Kane added: "The lads are always ready for any moment in the game, and when we took the lead, the message was to keep attacking and score another goal. Obviously, once they scored their two goals, the objective was to find something, but we could have regained control of the game."
